Fear of judgement and guilt of isolation

I've been avoiding any form of contact with my old friends and family members (except my parents) because I have an intense fear of how they're going to react when they see me. Deactivated my account and blocked all calls from them.. I can imagine the disgusted look in their faces. I fear those repeated hurtful words. Like those words are already latched on me,kept on repeating over and over again. It affected how much I see myself now. I can't move on from it. I can't accept what has become of me today.

Is it a right thing to do to isolate myself until I can recover. I feel like a coward because I can't face them. But I know what's more important to me is to recover. I didn't even have close friends to begin with. Can I just continue my relationship with new people who would not judge me harshly. Those who accepted me for what I am now. Do I need to reconnect with old friends if it is critical to my recovery. I know deep inside me that my sacrifice in giving up previous relationships will be worth it. If they are truly my friends, they'll understand why I did that someday.